Eleventh
session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for an
International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the
Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals
and Pesticides in International Trade (INC-11)

Geneva,
Switzerland; 18 September 2004

First
meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on
the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade

In the morning, delegates voted on the location of the Convention's Secretariat and met in a high-level segment to hear statements from ministers and heads of delegation. In the afternoon, a budget group met to negotiate financial rules, and COP-1 finalized decisions and the meeting's report. Above
photo: President Roch gaveled the meeting to a close at
18:50.

HIGH-LEVEL
SEGMENT

:

CLOSING PLENARY:

On his departure from UNEP, Jim Willis, Secretariat (UNEP),
expressed his appreciation to his colleagues in the Secretariat for
their spirit of camaraderie.

Above
photo: President Roch thanked Jim Willis, Secretariat (UNEP)
for his work and contribution to the chemicals management regime.

Noting that developing countries were being required to sacrifice
implementation projects in order to pay assessed contributions to the
trust fund, Maria Celina de Azevedo Rodrigues (Brazil) noted
her strong disappointment with the choice of the UN Scale of
Assessment.

Alistair
McGlone (UK) presented the report of the budget during the closing
plenary.

Henrik Eriksen (Norway) proposed compromise text on the African
Group’s draft decision concerning the establishment of a financial
mechanism for the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention.

Minister Modou Fada Diagne (Senegal) stressed the importance to
developing countries of completing the study on the establishment of a
financial mechanism, and, on behalf of the African Group, agreed to
Norway’s proposal in the spirit of compromise.

STATEMENTS:

MinisterSuwit Khunkitti
(Thailand) highlighted its national
policies in response to its positive and negative experiences with the
uses of chemicals.

Minister Speranta Maria Ianculescu (Romania) emphasized the importance of technical assistance for the successful
implementation of the Convention, highlighting its importance for
countries with economies in transition.

Robert Ford (US) said the US Congress is in the process of passing
legislation that once adopted will enable its ratification of the
Rotterdam Convention, hopefully by COP-2.

Assistant Minister
Wangari Maathai (Kenya) drew attention to its measures to ban and
severely restrict pesticides, and its programme to phase out lead in
petrol, indicated that it will soon ratify the Convention, and
expressed its desire to host COP-3 in Nairobi.

Sachiko Kuwabara Yamamoto (Basel
Convention) noted its centers’ work in enhancing the capacity of
developing countries and those with economies in transition.

Ambassador
Viveka Bohn (Sweden) announced Sweden's decision to increase its
official development assistance (ODA) to 1% of GDP by 2006.

Kerstin
Leitner (WHO) noted the importance of ensuring that the poorest
are not disproportionately exposed to chemical risks.

Algeria said an efficient and coherent management of
chemical risks must be achieved through a global framework which takes
into account the synergies between the three chemicals-related MEAs,
as well as the precautionary principle.

LOCATION OF THE SECRETARIAT:

Above photo: Maria Teriosina (Lithunaia) (center), chair of the selecting
committee
on the physical location of the Convention Secretariat announced
Geneva-Rome as the seat
of the Rotterdam Convention.

Above
photo: Ambassador Paolo Bruni (Italy) thanked the delegates for
their support and confidence for making the Geneva-rome the seat of
the Convention.

Above
photos L-R: Ambassador Paolo Bruni (Italy) being
congratulated by delegates and Italian delegates visibly happy with
the decision.
Below photos L-R: Delegate from the Geneva-Rome team raising a toast
and Ambassador Beat Nobs (Switzerland) thanked the delegates
for their confidence in making Geneva-Rome the seat of the
Convention.

ENB PIC Team:

The ENB PIC Team to the COP-1
to the Rotterdam Cnvention. From L-R: Catherine Ganzleben (United
Kingdom), Ivy Marvin (United States of America),
Paula Barrios (Colombia), Pia Kohler (Switzerland), and Noelle Eckley Selin
(United States of America/Ireland). Franz Dejon (Philippines/Canada) is the
Digital Editor
who took the picture.

ENB Snapshots:

This
service was prepared in cooperation with the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat